Music Listings – 7/6 through 7/12/2015

1. Earth People

An amazing collaboration of musicians, led by drummer/percussionist Andre Martinez (former Cecil Taylor Unit). This evening’s performance will reprise the motifs from their groundbreaking 2001 album Waking the Living (www.earthpeople.tv,). In March 2001, a group of multi-talented musicians and friends premiered Waking the Living, a television broadcast performance, and the free-form music group Earth People was born. Deeply rooted in almost every major musical tradition, ancient and modern, the members of Earth People have combined to form the vanguard of the modern avant-garde. Earth People plays music that is inspirational and timeless, capturing the soul of the moment and the spirit of all people, young and old.

Ben and Michael began playing together with drummer David Grollman in the trio BDM, which toured the US in the summer of 2014, delivering outlandish improvised performances that toed the line between music and performance art. Their duo project resulted from finding a strong musical affinity, and a shared desire to push the sonic boundaries of the drums/sax duo over the edge. The two have extended their instruments’ vocabulary to the point of overlapping with each other (Michael turning the saxophone into a percussion instrument, and Ben blowing on membranes like reeds). A wide-ranging sonic pallette, extreme shifts in dynamics and mood, and a commitment to presence and vulnerability come together in the duo’s unpredictable interactions to create music that is unique to each performance.
Michael Foster: http://www.michaelfostermusic.com/
Ben Bennett: http://milmin.nixsyspaus.org/ , http://label.experimedia.net/025/

This year marks the Twentieth Anniversary of the Vision Festival. To celebrate this milestone Arts for Art (AFA) plans 6 days that set the standard for creative FreeJazz music, dance, visual art and ideas, embracing values that challenge and inform.

4. JORGE SYLVESTER ACE COLLECTIVEEXTENDED EDITION

Jorge Sylvester‘s distinctive alto saxophone sound is imbued with the volatility of Caribbean basin’s complex mosaic, transformed and focused by the probing musical linguistics pioneered by the great saxophonists of modern jazz. The ACE Collective utilizes the rich spectrum of rhythms from the Caribbean and other Latin American countries as a vehicle to create new and undiscovered rhythmic melodic lines within the jazz tradition.

6. Filtron M – Astoria Roots & Prasanna

Filtron M, a project led by Swiss pianist, keyboardist and composer Manu Koch, will be back at Iridium for the third time since their successful EP release show last December. Like his sidemen, Koch has been exposed to numerous genres and musical cultures working with a wide range of notable artists for nearly two decades. New York based Filtron M, consisting of various units, will feature the Astoria Roots at this show, with bassist Panagiotis Andreou from Greece, Brazilian drummer Mauricio Zottarelli and percussionist Samuel Torres from Colombia.

They will be joined by Indian guitar virtuoso and composer Prasanna, who is a pioneer in performing Carnatic music on the guitar.

Wham Bam Raff & Sam and The HIPP PIPPS bring you the Can’t Miss This edition of our monthly Rock’n’Roll Party at The Bowery Electric. The sounds of Adventures in Bluesland get the party started at 7pm. Then The Werewolves bring their fabulous rock’n’roll sounds to the Party followed by The HIPP PIPPS winding up the night real tight.

10. The Benjees w. Swanky Tiger,TAT &Large Human

The Benjees came together through a series of mishaps and lucky timing. Bassist/singer Joe Visconti joined the band when guitarist/lead singer Ben Roberts accidentally forgot to cancel his audition. Drummer Graham Doby moved to New York and joined different band, but after they unexpectedly broke up, he wound up in The Benjees. Similarly, keyboardist Martin McDonald signed up while on a fortuitous break in between projects.

With diverse influences ranging from Jack White to The Beastie Boys to James Brown and beyond, The Benjees create rock music with elements of punk and pop mixed in. Reflecting the urgency and gritty aesthetic of their native New York City, the band is set apart by their energetic, fast-paced songs that balance bottom-heavy foundations with interweaving guitar melodies and three part harmonies. The end result is captured for the first time on their forthcoming, full-length album.

Stay tuned as The Benjees follow up their first single release, “Hollywood” with subsequent single/video releases and live shows, leading up to the release of their debut album, ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, in July 2015.

11. Rite Of Summer features the Don Byron New Gospel Quintet

The Don Byron New Gospel Quintet, featured on Love, Peace, and Soul, Byron’s debut album for Savoy Jazz, is the newest adventure from the groundbreaking artist who has reveled in interpreting music by a wildly diverse range of artists and styles, including Duke Ellington, Igor Stravinsky, Mickey Katz, Raymond Scott, John Kirby, Sly Stone, Henry Mancini, Sugar Hill Records’ early hip-hop, Earth Wind & Fire, Herb Alpert, and R&B icon Junior Walker. With jazz as his springboard, this time the virtuosic clarinetist and saxophonist has turned his ear to Gospel icons Thomas A. Dorsey and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

12. KANE MATHIS TRIO

KANE MATHIS TRIO. Performing on the 21-string Mandinka Kora and the Turkish Oud, Kane Mathis renders compelling interpretations of these traditional musics. Years of study with generous masters have given him a rare opportunity to share these traditions with other cultures. Kane began taking trips to The Gambia, West Africa in 1997 and has continued rigorous study of the Kora. Over the past ten years his performances have earned him recognition by the Gambian president, The Gambian minister of culture, and both national television and radio of The Gambia.
Kane’s Oud study began with Mutlu Torun of the I.T.U. conservatory in Istanbul and continued with 5 and a half years of courses with Oud virtuoso Münir Nurttin Beken. Since completing his study Kane has been sought after as a soloist and accompanist internationally on both instruments. Featuring Kane Mathis – ud & kora; Chris Stromquist – Drums and Moto Fukushima – Bass, plus special guests tba.

15. SEHRANG

“For those who look beyond American borders to see how jazz is interpreted in other nations, Sehrang will be an enlightening experience. Free from any commercial constraints, Sehrang roam through various styles and tones; every track has its own personality and individual quirks.
The ethereal glow of Golnar Shahyar’s voice immediately lights up Dar Lahze, the debut album from Sehrang. Featuring vocalist Shahyar, guitarist Mahan Mirarab, and percussionist Shayan Fathi, Sehrang (which means “tri-colored” in Farsi) is a trio of Iranians whose compositions unite jazz with world and Persian folk music. It’s an exotic mix, one that transcends geographical and language barriers, producing an album that is unique and endlessly fascinating.”
– All About Jazz, Nov 2014

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New Music For Piano Performed By Craig Ketter feat. Chris Sahar’s Composition @ New York Music Composers Craig Ketter will be premiering 9 new piano pieces. One of them is MFM member’s Chris Sahar‘s –[...]